There have been two shining moments in the history of the MetroStars/Red Bulls, and Juan Carlos Osorio has been there both times.

And while that pretty much sums up the franchise's 13 years, it also speaks volumes about Osorio's contribution.

On Sunday, in Osorio's first year as head coach, the Red Bulls stunned the two-time defending champion Dynamo with a dominating 3-0 victory in the second leg of their Western Conference semifinal series in Houston.

Eight years ago in the franchise's only other playoff series victory, Osorio was an assistant coach under Octavio Zambrano when the MetroStars knocked off Dallas in the first round, and then came within a game of reaching the MLS Cup.

"I have been very fortunate," a modest Osorio said Monday.

In 2000 the MetroStars finished 17-12-3 and won the Eastern Division championship, the franchise's only title to date.

It was a year that forward Clint Mathis had 13 goals and 13 assists in 21 games and established himself as one of the league's best players.

It was a year that forward Adolfo Valencia had 16 goals and 41 points and enjoyed a dominating postseason with four goals and one assist.

It was a year that goalie Paul Grafer filled in for Mike Amman (injury) and Tim Howard (Olympic duty) and held his own against Dallas.

"Clint played very well and we had a couple of foreigners who also played well," Osorio recalled. "We had a good team, a good mixture of experienced players and young players, and that was one of the strengths of the team."

With Mathis collecting three goals and an assist, the Metros swept the two-game series against Dallas. In the next series against the Fire, the teams split the first two games. In the third game at Soldier Field, Valencia scored twice to overcome a two-goal deficit, but the MetroStars lost, 3-2, on a goal by Ante Razov in the 88th minute.

"I remember preparing very well for that (first playoff) game and trying to win it," Osorio said. "It was difficult."

Difficult, but not impossible. And that's what Osorio tried to preach to the team before the Houston series.

He did it last year when he returned to the MLS in midseason as head coach of the Fire. The team went 6-3-6 under Osorio and upset top-seeded D.C. United in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Revolution, 1-0, in the Eastern Conference final.

The Red Bulls are in position to make history, and Osorio is hoping to be involved in another big moment with the franchise. And with a win and a tie against Real Salt Lake this year, who's to say it can't happen?

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE

The Honda Player of the Year award, given to the top player on the United States national team, will be presented Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard are the finalists, but while each did his part in a year the Americans have gone 8-3-2 and advanced to the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, Howard should be the clear-cut winner.

In a year when the team played very few meaningful games, Howard was at his best when it mattered most.

The U.S. played seven World Cup qualifiers this year and Howard was in goal for four of them. The other three -- the two-game blowout of Barbados and the Oct. 15 loss at Trinidad and Tobago after the team had already qualified for the final round -- saw Brad Guzan in net.

In between, Howard went 4-0 and allowed just one goal.

But what should earn Howard the award was his performance against Argentina June 8 at Giants Stadium, when his seven saves helped the U.S. earn a scoreless tie against what was then the No. 1 team in the world.

Donovan, who has won the award a record four times, including last year, did not do enough to be among the three finalists. Dempsey did, but did not match Howard's impact.

ETCETERA

D.C. United forward JAIME MORENO underwent knee surgery last week to have articular cartilage cleaned and a meniscal defect removed. He is expected to be ready for next season.

The U.S. women's national team, which concludes its post-Olympic victory tour with two games against China in December, is 31-1-2 this year. The team's only loss was to Norway in the first game of the Olympics.The U.S. Under-17 women's team finished 1-1-1 in group play, then beat South Korea, 4-2, Sunday in the quarterfinals of the U-17 World Cup in New Zealand. The U.S. will play Germany in the semifinals on Thursday.

CONCACAF clubs that fail to have a suitable stadium to host Champions League games must fix the problems or be replaced in the 2009 tournament. The draw for February's Champions League quarterfinals is set for Dec. 10.

Mexico plays Ecuador in a friendly Wednesday night in Phoenix.

Liverpool coach RAFA BENITEZ, in the final year of his contract, wants a new agreement in place by the end of the month to ensure the club's stability in the second half of the season.

ELTON JOHN resigned as life president of Watford because of his unhappiness at the way the club is being run. While John's title is honorary, he had served as Watford's chairman in the 1970s and '80s.

Arsenal striker EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR will be out three weeks with an ankle injury.

Chelsea goalkeeper PETR CECH won the Czech Republic Golden Ball award as the top player of the 2007-08 season. Arsenal midfielder TOMAS ROSICKY placed second and AC Milan defender MAREK JANKULOVSKI was third.

AC Milan forward FILIPPO INZAGHI, 35, extended his contract one year, through June 2010. Last week, he scored his record 64th career goal in European tournament play. Real Madrid's RAUL GONZALEZ, with 63, is second, followed by AC Milan teammate ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO, who has 61.

Chievo Verona fired coach GIUSEPPE IACHINI and replaced him with former Parma coach DOMENICO DI CARLO.Brazilian striker RONALDO, rehabbing his third knee surgery, turned down an offer to play for Serie A club Siena.

Lyon striker KARIM BENZEMA has 10 goals in 14 career Champions League games.

Hoffenheim, the surprise team in the Bundesliga, gave midfielder SEJAD SALIHOVIC a contract extension through the 2011-12 season. He has four goals and six assists in 12 games.

Real Madrid striker RUUD VAN NISTELROOY could be out until January with a right knee injury. Teammate ARJEN ROBBEN will be sidelined six weeks with a muscle tear.

Barcelona midfielder ANDRES INIESTA will be out six weeks after injuring ligaments in his right thigh last week.

Former West German international PIERRE LITTBARSKI is the new coach and sporting director of Swiss club FC Vaduz.

Russian club Rubin Kazan won its first league title in history, and is just the third non-Moscow team to win the league championship. Alaniya Vladikavkaz took the title in 1995 and Zenit St. Petersburg won last season.

The second leg of the Asian Champions League final between Gamba Osaka of Japan and Adelaide United of Australia will be played Wednesday in Australia. Gamba won the first leg, 3-0.

The first leg of the Copa Sudamericana semifinals between Argentine clubs Estudiantes and Argentinos Juniors, and Internacional of Brazil and Mexico's Chivas Guadalajara will be played Wednesday.

Ajax plays host to PSV Eindhoven on Sunday but will be without striker KLAAS JAN HUNTELAAR, who tore a ligament in his left ankle and will be out six weeks.

Kalmar FF, promoted to the top Swedish league a few years ago, won its first title on Sunday.

French club Saint-Etienne fired coach LAURENT ROUSSEY.

This column was generated by the writer from interviews, information from other beat writers and Star-Ledger wire services.